Biology Questions

1. Is it possible to change the genes of babies with early diagnosis?

"If the diagnosis is made very early, there is a possibility that the genes can be changed. It also depends on the disease. For example, there is a treatment for SMA disease. We call this treatment gene therapy. We know which gene is defective in SMA patients and we try to correct it. We give the patient the correct version of the gene as a 'medicine', as a piece of DNA. The earlier the treatment is applied, the better. It is not possible to apply such treatments in early embryos before the baby is born, for example, to 'have a blue-eyed baby'. These are not ethical. We can only carry out studies to treat diseases." Prof Dr Arzu Çelik

2. Why do individuals with Down syndrome have 47 chromosomes?

"Chromosomes are shared by cells during cell division. But sometimes they are not shared equally because of some problems. In Down syndrome, there is a special excess of chromosome 21. In other words, the 21st chromosome is actually 3 chromosomes when it should be 2, and Down syndrome disease occurs. There are some other diseases besides Down syndrome. It does not always have to be chromosome 21. For example, other diseases can also occur when there is a 13th chromosome. In other words, we can say that it is completely due to errors and mistakes during cell division. But during pregnancy, it can be understood whether there is such a problem by looking at both the embryo and genetic tests." Dr Şükrü Anıl Doğan